Judgment in third fodder scam case against Lalu Prasad Yadav likely on 24 January

Ranchi: A special CBI court will pronounce its judgment in the third of five fodder scam cases against RJD chief Lalu Prasad, who has been convicted in two of them, on 24 January. [caption id=“attachment_4295943” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav. PTI[/caption] The case relates to alleged fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 35.62 crore from the Chaibasa treasury in the 1990s when hewas the chief minister of undivided Bihar. Special judge SS Prasad fixed 24 January for pronouncing the verdict as arguments in the case are over, according to a CBI official. Prasad is lodged in Birsa Munda jail after being convicted last month in the second case of the fodder scam linked to illegal withdrawal of money from Deoghar treasury. Special CBI court judge Shiv Pal Singh had on Saturday sentenced him to three-and-a-half years in jail in the case relating to illegal withdrawal of Rs 89.27 lakh from Deoghar treasury. Earlier, on 30 September, 2013, Prasad was held guilty in another case pertaining to illegal withdrawal of Rs 37.7 crore and handed down a five-year prison term. The 69-year-old RJD president had five cases against him in the Rs 900 crore fodder scam. He was on bail in the first case when he was convicted and sentenced in the second. Prasad is also an accused in two other fodder scam cases relating to alleged illegal withdrawal of Rs 3.97 crore from Dumka treasury and Rs 184 crore from Doranda treasury.